Robert Castetter; dean helped law school get accreditation, stature

Colleagues thought Robert Castetter was crazy to leave a good position at what was then San Diego State College to take over a foundering law school.

The school faced low enrollment and financial struggles, but under his leadership as dean, California Western School of Law earned accreditation and increased enrollment from about a dozen students to more than 600. Despite that growth, Mr. Castetter made it a point to know every student by name.

Mr. Castetter, known for his positive outlook and caring attitude, had amotto: “Every day is a good day, but some days are even better than others.”

Mr. Castetter died Sunday at Grossmont Hospital after suffering a stroke. He was 89.

“He gave opportunities and inspiration to aspiring lawyers to become attorneys of character and integrity,” said Ken Greenman, chairman of the California Western board of trustees and an alumnus of the law school.

“Through his kindness, civility, and jovial personality, the dean truly made our days better,” Greenman said. “He loved the law school and he loved and cared for his students.”

When Mr. Castetter joined California Western in 1960, the law school was a part of United States International University. It had no real library, a stack of unpaid bills and one faculty member. Within a few years, he built up a library, recruited students and faculty, and earned status as an accredited school of law from the state and the American Bar Association.

Mr. Castetter developed traditional law-school programs and initiated a program involving leading scholars, lawyers, businesspeople and elected officials from both sides of the border to discuss cross-border issues.

His achievements included gaining membership for California Western in the Association of American Law Schools in 1967 and engineering the law school's separation from USIU in 1975 to become one of the few free-standing law schools in the nation. The separation was spurred in part by financial problems facing USIU.

Mr. Castetter was named president of the law school in 1980 and retired in 1985.

The school's current dean, Steven Smith, said Mr. Castetter was a mentor who gave good advice.

“He really saw the potential of people changing the world. He would come back to events at the school (after his retirement) and be mobbed by alums,” Smith said. “He knew the name and year (of graduation) of every student who graduated when he was dean.”

“He was truly a people person, rather than a paper person,” Avery said. “He was very much a family man and was active in the community; he coached Little League . . . he was unassuming and always had time to talk to individuals.

“He was not into power. The law school was like family.”

U.S. District Judge Jim Lorenz attended the law school when there were fewer than 50 students.

“He was like the father of the school, which was very close-knit,” Lorenz said. “He was a great influence in students' lives and careers.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Lewis, a family friend and California Western alum, said he was among those encouraged by Mr. Castetter. “There are a lot of people like myself who owe their careers to Dean Castetter,” Lewis said.

Robert K. Castetter was born Aug. 18, 1919, in Martinsville, Ind. He grew up in Cincinnati and attended Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. After graduating from college in 1941, he enlisted in the Army and was sent to officer training.

Mr. Castetter was in charge of training new recruits and supply officers in taking apart weapons, putting them back together and identifying spare parts, said his son Bruce.

“He found out he wasn't very adept at taking apart the guns and putting them back together . . . but he was very good at conveying knowledge to others and he enjoyed the teaching experience,” Bruce Castetter said.

Mr. Castetter went into business after the war and found himself drawn to the legal and academic world. He received his juris-doctor degree from Chase College of Law in Cincinnati in 1947 and earned a master's-in-law degree from Indiana University in 1953. He received an honorary doctor-of-law degree from Washington and Jefferson College in 1971.

Mr. Castetter was professor and chairman of the finance department at the San Diego State College School of Business for nearly six years before joining California Western.

Mr. Castetter is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marjorie of La Mesa; four children, Bruce of San Diego, Deborah Keller of Petaluma, Roy Robert of San Diego and Victoria Ellencamp of Petaluma; and three grandchildren.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. today at El Camino Memorial Erickson-Anderson Chapel in La Mesa, and services will be at the same location at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

California Western will host a reception celebrating Mr. Castetter's life at 1 p.m. tomorrow in the Castetter Courtyard, 225 Cedar St. A more formal event is planned for Sept. 26 in conjunction with the school's Alumni Weekend festivities. Interested alumni should contact Lori Boyle for more information at (619) 515-1543.